The NCAA has shut the door on Brendan Sorsby’s college career for a second time, as they denied Texas Tech’s appeal to reinstate the quarterback’s eligibility on Friday. Sorsby was ruled permanently ineligible after admitting to gambling on college and professional sports, including placing at least 40 wagers on Indiana football while he was a member of the Hoosiers’ roster.
With the June 22 deadline to apply for the NFL’s supplemental draft fast approaching, Sorsby’s path back to a football field may now run through the league rather than the Big 12.
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Sorsby reportedly placed more than 2,900 individual bets totaling at least $90,000 across his time at Indiana, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech. He used accounts registered in his name, as well as those belonging to family members and friends.
Sorsby completed a 35-day inpatient rehabilitation program for a diagnosed gambling addiction earlier this spring, and his legal team has framed the issue as a mental health condition that the NCAA failed to accommodate under its own bylaws.
The pending decision in Lubbock County District Court is now the last lifeline before the supplemental draft becomes Sorsby’s only option. The NCAA’s internal process and the lawsuit remain separate tracks, meaning Friday’s denial doesn’t directly affect the court case.
The NFL world on social media voiced a range of reactions to the news:
“NFL Supplemental Draft is where he’s headed,” wrote an account on X.
Brendan Sorsby, welcome to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. https://t.co/xokDvPxzqB
— PokeNation (@Big12Pokes) June 6, 2026
CJ Vogel added, “That’s the correct decision.”
“The lines have been pretty blurry for the NCAA lately except for this one area,” TNT’s Mike Golic Jr. said.
One would think… looking at all the facts… that this was kind of an easy decision… https://t.co/4JiYnZNn5B
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) June 6, 2026
“This was expected and is not the ruling on the injunction Brendan Sorsby is seeking,” Brendan Baxter said on X.
Sorsby’s talent isn’t in question, and he was viewed as a future first-round pick. Over 12 games at Cincinnati in 2025, he completed 61.6% of his passes for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and five interceptions while adding nine rushing touchdowns and 580 rushing yards.
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The New York Jets and Cleveland Browns have been the two teams most frequently linked to Sorsby in supplemental draft speculation. Cleveland’s interest, however, appears far less likely. Browns coach Todd Monken poured cold water on the idea at the team’s foundation golf tournament.
“That’s not even come across my desk. I don’t think we’re in a position to want to go down that road,” Monken said. “I like the quarterbacks that we have. I think that’s a slippery slope when you go down that, irrespective of talent, right? In terms of the situation he’s put himself in, we all know what that is. He put himself in that situation. And we’ve seen in other sports with players that have been banned for life from playing in professional sports.”
Sorsby’s deadline to declare for the supplemental draft is June 22, and his attorneys have asked Judge Curry for a ruling by June 15 so their client can make an informed decision.
